I always gave my parents full credit for my work ethic, but I learned recently that I gave them too much credit. My parents are proud of my academic accomplishments, although they don’t have a clue where I established my unusual obsession with learning from. What I learned my senior year of high school stunned me: they told me that I created my own work ethic, with little influence from them at all. My parents actually get worried about how much I care about school. They expect high grades from me, but I hold myself to a higher standard. I work to impress them, for my own well-being, and because working hard is programmed in my brain.
I remember being a freshman in high school and creating a huge, black binder filled with all the study materials I could come up with. This binder was like the bible to passing finals. As embarrassing as it is now, I called it ‘Victoria’s way of getting an A’. My parents were incredulous when I stayed inside all weekend studying from that binder. They actually tell me that I should spend less time obsessing over schoolwork and more time enjoying myself. My father often reminds me that I will have to work the rest of my life, so to enjoy my younger years while I don’t have many responsibilities.
Once the information surfaced about how my parents never pushed me like I push myself, I pondered where this insane need to succeed came from. The answer was so obvious to me; the values instilled in me through taekwondo made me the person and student that I am today. Taekwondo was always a huge part of my life. I spent my life—since three years of age—exercising, training, and bettering myself both inside and outside the dojang. I never truly understood how much taekwondo shaped me as a person until this epiphany.
In taekwondo, I learned many values which I hold to a high degree in my head and heart. There were many words thrown at me to memorize such as determination, concentration, and perseverance. I knew what the words meant and how they were connected to taekwondo, but there was never a moment that I said to myself, ‘today I will practice concentrating.’ These morals and values were translated into actions without my awareness. I was driven as a martial artist, that I knew, but it expanded to all aspects of my life.
I was told to never give up and to finish what I started. This is one of the main themes of taekwondo. I am proud to practice these beliefs every day, whether I am in a work setting, a school setting, or my dojang. Once these values were embedded in my brain, I didn’t have to remind myself to get my work done and try my best; it is just my way of life.
I remember being a freshman in high school and creating a huge, black binder filled with all the study materials I could come up with. This binder was like the bible to passing finals. As embarrassing as it is now, I called it ‘Victoria’s way of getting an A’. My parents were incredulous when I stayed inside all weekend studying from that binder. They actually tell me that I should spend less time obsessing over schoolwork and more time enjoying myself. My father often reminds me that I will have to work the rest of my life, so to enjoy my younger years while I don’t have many responsibilities.
Once the information surfaced about how my parents never pushed me like I push myself, I pondered where this insane need to succeed came from. The answer was so obvious to me; the values instilled in me through taekwondo made me the person and student that I am today. Taekwondo was always a huge part of my life. I spent my life—since three years of age—exercising, training, and bettering myself both inside and outside the dojang. I never truly understood how much taekwondo shaped me as a person until this epiphany.
In taekwondo, I learned many values which I hold to a high degree in my head and heart. There were many words thrown at me to memorize such as determination, concentration, and perseverance. I knew what the words meant and how they were connected to taekwondo, but there was never a moment that I said to myself, ‘today I will practice concentrating.’ These morals and values were translated into actions without my awareness. I was driven as a martial artist, that I knew, but it expanded to all aspects of my life.
I was told to never give up and to finish what I started. This is one of the main themes of taekwondo. I am proud to practice these beliefs every day, whether I am in a work setting, a school setting, or my dojang. Once these values were embedded in my brain, I didn’t have to remind myself to get my work done and try my best; it is just my way of life.